


In the Midst of Things

by honorata



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:48:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11915409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honorata/pseuds/honorata
Summary: Brienne is taken by surprise in the Red Tent of Feels.





	In the Midst of Things

**Author's Note:**

> This piece stubbornly refused to have any kind of backstory, so I finally gave up and left it as is, in medias res. Fluff City, people; you have been warned!

Jaime just stared at her. He stared and stared, and Brienne began to feel the usual heat spreading up her face, while the usual sweat started beading up at her hairline. She tried to shift her eyes away from his gaze; everything in his tent was lit up with a hazy reddish glow, but truthfully there was nothing else she wanted to focus on.

“Brienne,” he said, and his left hand came up to cradle her chin.

She was completely unsettled by the firm pressure of his thumb on her jaw, and froze in place, even as she could hear men marching and a wagon rumbling past, right outside his tent.

She had been fully prepared to walk out only a second earlier. Now it seemed her entire body refused to obey her will.

“Jaime, what is-” was all she got out before his mouth met hers. His face was so near; she couldn’t focus on it anymore, so she closed her eyes instead and felt the press of his lips. Sparks shot straight down her spine.

The need for air finally forced her to pull away. She tried to catch her breath with a gasp, tried to keep the shock of it off her face, but her hand flew up to touch lips that were still warm and wet.

His eyes were unreadable. His own hand reached up to grasp at her fingers, pulling them away from her mouth to his, and he kissed her fingertips.

“What is this? Why…what are you _doing?_ ” … Everywhere felt like flames: her face, her ears, the nape of her neck, her mouth. Such a contrast to the frigid air outside! This wasn’t the usual wave of embarrassment washing over her. This was worse, especially since a glance told her that Pod had clearly witnessed the entire event and was now staring at the pair of them like he had suddenly solved a difficult riddle.

Yet somehow it _wasn’t_ worse. She couldn’t bring herself to pull her hand out of his grip. She began to realize that the pounding of her heart and the sensations that seemed to be whirling through every part of her body ( _gods, the way he kept looking at her!_ ) were battling and even winning over any shame she had felt at the start.

Jaime hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath.

“Declaring my intentions.” He paused. “Brienne.” He paused again…the way he said her name…it sounded very _something_ – awestruck? – like perhaps he was regarding some delicate object he’d discovered? She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts, but he continued.

“It matters not who is here to see us. In truth I’m glad for your squire’s presence. All should know.”

“Ser Jaime…” They both turned sharply to Pod, who paled slightly under the double weight of intense glares, but soldiered on anyway, “…are you formally announcing your desire to court my lady?”

Pod’s mention of the word desire! The tent instantly seemed even warmer. “Absolutely.”

“That’s good news, my lord.”

“Really? Well, I thank you, Podrick.” Jaime preened a bit, but then his grin turned rueful. “I’m grateful that at least one person welcomes the news; the Seven know it will be a hard enough battle to convince the rest of Westeros to see the sense in it.”

She was jolted back to reality with a surge of anger. “See the _sense_ in it!? You propose an… _alliance_ …between us, because you think it’s the sensible thing to do? When I’ve spent most of my life fighting to not be used in such a manner? How could you possibly think that I—

“Ah, there’s the wench I know and love. Hold a moment, my lady; I’ll explain.”

Was it the look in his eyes or his finger on her lips that actually stopped her midsentence? Or wait – did Jaime just say “ _love_?” Her heart started thumping all over again. She decided to listen, but she held her glare, and kept it aimed right at his (damned gorgeous) eyes, just in case.

“Do I need to spell it out for you, Brienne?” He grimaced for a moment. “I never was a good speller, but I’ll try. Certainly people seem more receptive these days, but you can’t deny that I still have far more enemies than your ladyship has allies. The King and Queen might be swayed that uniting our Houses would be practical. It _should_ be obvious that a marriage between us would be of great benefit to the realm, but there are also plenty of objections that will likely arise.”

Jaime took her hand again. “Regardless, I’m utterly sure it’s something worth fighting for: every moment you’re here, I’m more convinced that I can’t possibly live without you. It seems to me that it’s undeniably _sensible_ to stay by your side in that case. I’m yours, for all the days the gods may grant us. Hopefully until we’re old as dirt, and I can die contented in the arms of the woman I love.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but the expression on his face changed abruptly, and he glanced away. He seemed to be considering something, and since she hadn’t really figured out how to make her voice start working again, she waited for him. He finally turned the full weight of his gaze back to her. He looked troubled, but he said, “That’s assuming you want the same thing.”

Brienne realized she couldn’t bear to see such pain in his eyes. The anger and tension melted away, but now she couldn’t figure out how to speak around the lump in her throat. _You’re a woman of action_ , she told herself sternly, _so stop the denial and act_!

She found she could actually move now, so she raised the hand that wasn’t holding his, touched his cheek, and paused.

“Podrick, you may be dismissed. Go…find something to do.” Thank the gods, her voice worked again!

“As you wish, my lady,” Pod replied with a grin that was far too sly, and bustled out of the tent. Brienne thought she caught him muttering something about Bronn and collecting a debt, and felt her face reddening again, but her attention was already shifting back to Jaime, thinking how good his skin felt under her hand, how she should angle her head to return his kiss, how she would store the image of the smile that spread across his face in her heart forever, how she finally found the truest words to say just before she met his lips with hers:

“Jaime...if you’re mine...I’ll be yours. I'll...always be yours.”


End file.
